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Lessons of Two Campaigns

Memo to Democrats: You will be defined by President Obama whether you like it or not, so you might as well embrace him for the benefits he can bring you.

Memo to Republicans: Talk a right-wing game in your ideological magazines and at your tea parties if that makes you happy. But to win elections, your candidates had better look like middle-of-the-road problem-solvers.

Those are the two outstanding lessons from the campaigns for next Tuesday's governors' races in New Jersey and Virginia. Both parties would be smart to apply them in 2010.

I disagree, I do not think a moderate Republican is needed to win an election. I think its going to take a fundamental Conservative who has has a strong stance on all of his/her policies to rally up the troops again (So to say). Question is who?

Disclaimer: I do not agree with 100% of the conservative policies but I do beleieve its whats needed right now to fireup this party.
Chubbs

In psychology, Stockholm Syndrome is an apparently paradoxical psychological phenomenon in which hostages express empathy and have positive feelings towards their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them. "[6]

I disagree, I do not think a moderate Republican is needed to win an election. I think its going to take a fundamental Conservative who has has a strong stance on all of his/her policies to rally up the troops again (So to say). Question is who?

Disclaimer: I do not agree with 100% of the conservative policies but I do beleieve its whats needed right now to fireup this party.
Chubbs

I don't think ppl see conservatives, I think they see Rush when they think of the GOP, but I do think there could be a anti Obama policy backlash that can help the GOP, but straight conservative polices, I don't think ppl know what that is right now after 8 years of Bush and Rush being the talking head of the Repubs recently.. Hell I thought I knew what conservatism was about, but I don't know what that party stands for right now.. and I'm being as honest as possible about this..so I don't think I could support your statement that that's whats needed right now.. Right now, we need to start job creation as we can bring in more money and start a reversal of deflicit spending... I think once that start, everything else will take care of itself..

I don't think ppl see conservatives, I think they see Rush when they think of the GOP, but I do think there could be a anti Obama policy backlash that can help the GOP, but straight conservative polices, I don't think ppl know what that is right now after 8 years of Bush and Rush being the talking head of the Repubs recently.. Hell I thought I knew what conservatism was about, but I don't know what that party stands for right now.. and I'm being as honest as possible about this..so I don't think I could support your statement that that's whats needed right now.. Right now, we need to start job creation as we can bring in more money and start a reversal of deflicit spending... I think once that start, everything else will take care of itself..

Thats exactly why we need this. The Republicans in my oppinion have lost their way.

Regardless some will disagree, but conservative policies is the foundation of this country. Its what a good majority of America still believes in. We need someone to stand up and reach back to the roots of their party. Enough of this moderate crap. I think once this happens the nation will follow.

Right now i am starting to follow Marco Rubio a little more now, he intriguing me more and more.
Chubbs

Conservatism is not an ideology that is easily pinned-down. Everytime someone says, "he's not a true conservative" I always remind myself that these so-called true conservatives advocate government control on things like trade and consumption. They claim to be advocates of the Constitution, but have no problem with things like corporations, they have no problem with censorship.

If so-called true conservatives hearken back to enlightenment ideals, the age in which our constitution was born, then they should have no problem with social darwinism or the tradition of slavery. You see, human rights are a liberal invention. The protection of the press and speech is a liberal idea.

If we're going to equate conservatism with traditionalism, then we are in trouble. Conservatism in the 1700's meant loyalty to the monarchy. Conservatism is an evolving philosophy, as any vital philosophy should, and if someone incorporates socialist ideas into their overarching conservative philosophy, that doesn't make them by degree less conservative. In fact, there's probably a conservative wing of socialism which is quick to admonish those socialists who stray from the philosophies of Mao and Marx.

Anyway, I'm kind of rambling. But keep in mind that the formation of our Constitution was a liberal venture. We shouldn't discredit ideas because they're new or liberal, we should only discredit ideas based simply on their truth, pragmatism, and righteousness.

If we're going to equate conservatism with traditionalism, then we are in trouble. Conservatism in the 1700's meant loyalty to the monarchy. Conservatism is an evolving philosophy, as any vital philosophy should, and if someone incorporates socialist ideas into their overarching conservative philosophy, that doesn't make them by degree less conservative. In fact, there's probably a conservative wing of socialism which is quick to admonish those socialists who stray from the philosophies of Mao and Marx.

Older people in Russia who long for the days of the Soviet Union, as well as older Chinese who disapprove of the market reforms over the years, would qualify as conservative socialists.